Effectiveness of Osha Vpp Safety Interventions To Reduce Injury And Illness Rates Within The Pharmaceutical Industry

Effectiveness of Osha Vpp Safety Interventions To Reduce Injury And Illness Rates Within The Pharmaceutical Industry

Discussion

The purpose of this study is to determine if there is a correlation between the implementation of the OSHA's VPP program and the reduction of workplace injuries beyond the entry level. Lost time and recordable injuries has been reviewed and considered as part of this study. Another primary goal was to establish if the OSHA's VPP has improved overall safety performance in those plants that had implemented this process. For this, we have conducted an employee perception survey.

The costs of work related occupational injuries and illnesses are a significant contributor to the costs of running a business within the United States. According to a report from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (2006), on an average day, some 16 workers die from work related injuries. According to the 1998 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (as cited by American Psychological Association, 2006), data from labor statistics reflect that workers 44 years of age and younger are killed on the job from careless unintentional injury (p. 1). In a 2004 report issued by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), the number of fatal occupational injuries (5,703) decreased during 1999-2003 (5,800). Out of these injuries, ninety-three percent (5,292) were caused by men and resulted in a fatality. The BLS estimated that in 2004, the number of nonfatal occupational injuries rose to 4-million. Of these injuries, 32% came from industries that produced goods and the other 68% came from service related industries. Over the years, the high cost of workplace injuries has been widely substantiated. In a 1992 study, Leigh et al. (1997) assert that the total costs of occupational injuries and illnesses within the United States were estimated to be over $171-billion dollars.

According to Krause and Weekley (2005), when predicting safety improvement success, the most important factor in determining success or failure is the quality of leadership. This is an interesting outcome because most safety initiatives are employee driven. According to Krause and Weekley (2005), many of the leaders studied were unclear of the role they should play in safety initiatives. Also, success in safety generally correlates to success in business. Krause and Weekley (2005) found that companies who were highly successful in safety were also successful in their operational performance. According to Krause and Weekley (2005), “this may not be startling to the experienced observer of organizational performance, but the implications of this finding for safety strategy are compelling.” This implies that safety can be used as a starting point for performance improvement. Therefore, compared to other performance areas, safety performance can be used to add value to the organization. Moreover, when put into proper focus of leadership; safety not only correlates to strong business performance, but also provides a starting place in meeting workforce organizational goals.

It is noteworthy to mention that the samples ...